Support EFSL News June 2021 https://supportefsl.org Dear praying friends, A minister at a previous church told this story: “I answered the phone and a lady’s voice said, ‘Is that Gabriel’s Restaurant?’ I told her she’d got the wrong number. I thought it was strange that she should ring me by mistake when she was trying to get Gabriel! You know of course that is the name in the Bible of one of God’s messengers. In Luke 1:19, when he was about to announce to Mary the conception of Jesus, he said, ‘I am Gabriel and I stand before God.’ So, the idea of this mighty being running a restaurant struck me as incongruous. But the Bible says that sometimes we entertain angels unawares, so perhaps they also entertain us! Jesus said that whenever we care for the sick, the dying and the imprisoned, we are doing it for Him. I wonder if some of the situations I meet every day are in fact angels in disguise. I also wonder if today I will actually meet not Gabriel, but God Himself and not recognise Him.” Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:37-40. Support EFSL Trustees At our January meeting , we welcomed a new trustee, Antoinette Wiebe. She is the wife of another of our trustees, Kevin, and they have two children. She has served local churches in several ways, including in prayer ministry, administration, and working with seniors and children. She says, "I am very excited to be a trustee for Support EFSL, and look forward to serving the church in Sierra Leone. The work of EFSL touches many lives in both spiritual and practical ways; and I feel blessed to be a part of it." If you would like to know more about Antoinette, or any of the Support EFSL trustees, please visit our website at https://supportefsl.org/our-team. London 10-Kilometre Run On 25th July, a number of the trustees – Ken Wiebe, Steve Manktelow, Grace Ensah, and Harry Stevens – have registered to take part in the annual London ASICS 10K Run to raise funds for EFSL. We hope to raise enough for EFSL to help it meet its target of providing five roofs for new churches each year. If you would like to help make our pain easier to bear, and at the same time contribute to a worthy cause that will benefit the lives of believers across Sierra Leone, then I invite you to sponsor us! You can do this in several ways; the details are at the end of this letter. Your support is needed more than ever, as in recent months there has been a decline in financial giving, and this has meant that we have been unable to send EFSL the regular monthly donation in support of the main commitments: Muslim-Background Believers, Ebola Orphans, Radio Ministry, and the wages of EFSL staff in the Church Empowerment Department. Appointment of a new EFSL General Secretary The EFSL will be holding its Biennial General Assembly from the 6th - 10th September 2021 in Bo City. At this General Assembly, new Board Members will be elected, and a new General Secretary appointed. After 12 years leading EFSL, the current General Secretary Jonathan Titus-Williams is standing down. He has taken up a new appointment with the government of Sierra Leone as Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development. Rev Musa Fobay, a pastor and senior staff member, is serving as the Interim General Secretary until September 2021 when a substantive General Secretary will be appointed. Church Roofing Assistance Roofing is completed on the following churches supported with roofing materials: Cross Purpose Church (Koindu) and the Manyeh Community Church. The Baptist Church (Tintafor, Lungi) has started the roofing work and the Wesleyan Church (Masongo, village) is yet to get started due to transfer of the pastor and District Superintendent, but they have the materials available for the work. Ongoing roofing work on the Baptist Church at Tintafor, Lungi Almost completed work on Cross Purpose Church, Koindu, and Manyeh Community Church Sewing Machines Funds received for one sewing machine are yet to be utilized, as the supplier for sewing machines in Freetown ran out of stock. As soon as a sewing machine is available, it will be purchased and donated to the Baptist Women Vocational Institute in Lunsar. Support to Orphans EFSL continues to support orphans in project communities in the Western Area, Port Loko and Bonthe Districts. In Waterloo, orphan children at the Heaven’s Home Orphanage received food items comprising of rice, onions, vegetable oil, tomato, packets of safe drinking water, and soft drinks. EFSL also distributed school items – including shoes – to orphan children in the Lokomassama Chiefdom, Port Loko District (Mankakor, Bross, Modiyade, Kathoma, and Tigbonor villages), and in the Bonthe District (Jorma, Molucia, Tissana, and Mowagor villages). Orphan Children in Bonthe District Orphan children in Port Loko District Support to Muslim-Background Believers EFSL continues to provide monthly support to MBBs (Sani Elba & Khadija Elba, Mohamed Conteh, Esther Nenneh Koroma, Regina Moriba, Jane Ganda, Martha Kabba, Michaella Jimmy, and Mary Pessima) who were facing various challenges because of their faith. They are all doing very well both spiritually and academically. Khadija Elba passed her high school exams, and she has been admitted into her first year at Fourah Bay College to study Civil Engineering. Regina Moriba has been promoted to second year nursing at the College of Medicine, and she received a prize (a nursing dictionary) as the best student in her class for the first year. Esther ‘Nenneh’ Koroma is promoted to 2nd year at the Milton Margai College of Education studying Public Administration, and Michaella Jimmy also to 2nd year studying Banking and Finance at the Institute of Public Administration. Mohamed Conteh and Jane Conteh have got their requirements to enter University. Regina Moriba at the Hospital Jane Ganda after Church Service Radio Ministry EFSL’s Regional Representatives continue to facilitate “EFSL Hour” on radio in Bo to cover the south and southeast of Sierra Leone, and in Lunsar and Makeni to cover the north and northwest. During this pandemic the radio programmes have been used for Bible studies on topics such as Faith, Healing, Fear, Sorrow, Anxiety, Hardship, and Spiritual Growth. The radio hour has also been used to pray for people, answer listeners’ questions, give people hope, and to sensitise the Church and the nation as a whole to stay safe during the pandemic, and to comply with COVID-19 regulations. Please continue to pray and give thanks for: • For Rev Jonathan Titus-Williams, that God will supply him with all wisdom, integrity, and strength as he moves to his new post in the Sierra Leone Government. • For the interim EFSL General Secretary, Rev Musa Fobay, as he takes up leadership; and for wisdom and guidance for the EFSL Board as they select a new General Secretary. • Continued encouragement for and equipping of rural pastors as they continue to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ across Sierra Leone. • All involved in the EFSL radio ministry, and that through it more people will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. • Ongoing protection for Muslim Background Believers as they continue to study, work, and witness. • Continued low levels of Covid-19 and its eventual eradication from Sierra Leone. • Continued health and strength for Bill and Jan Roberts and their family. ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.’ John 5:24. Steve Manktelow Support EFSL Treasurer In addition to praying, if you want to give to EFSL so it can continue to support the Church and people in Sierra Leone, please send your gifts to the Support EFSL Treasurer: Steve Manktelow, Blackdown Cottage, Willand, Devon, EX15 2QH. E-mail: [email protected]. Cheques can be made out to Support EFSL (no.1141005). Or, you can donate instantly using PayPal or Just Giving through our website. Just click Donate Now to be taken to our donation page. To donate on behalf of our 10K Runners on the Just Giving page set aside for this event, click on ASICS London 10K Run. Or you can send a cheque, adding in the memo that it is for the 10K Run, and including the name of the runner if you wish. .